Skywest Union Vote

[Dave Benjamin]

Actually SkyWest had some of those benefits before the unionized regionals had them. To this day SkyWest has better trip rigs, minimum pay guarantees, deadhead pay, and vacation policies than many other carriers. So maybe you should be thanking them. Also SkyWest never lowered themselves to the point of PFT. How many union carriers can say that? Then there's Jets for Jobs. At SkyWest furoughed mainline pilots come in at the bottom of the list as FO's just like any other new hire. Can the unionized regionals say that? No super seniority or guaranteed seats. Hey, but at least your dues are tax deductible, right?

 

[TriJet]

Easy!!

 

[Dave Benjamin]

Easy!!

Why Big D? You afraid they can't handle the truth?

 

[Gobi Gred]

And who got those furloughed pilots jobs with SkyWest and made it so they don't have to get by on first year pay? Also you could lose all that you have tomorrow if managment doesn't want to play nice with SAPA anymore. If want to believe that what SkyWest pilots have in their "contract" is because management wants to give you that, think again. If every company in America (yes, even SkyWest) could get away with paying employees minimum wage they would do it. Corporate America does not care about the American worker. Period. The only reason pilots have the pay and benefits they have today is because of unions. True SkyWest has never had PFT, but I guarantee they looked at it at one time. Also at one time you had to pay for your own lodging during training and didn't get paid until after your checkride. I'm not trying to bash on SkyWest. It is a great airline with great people. Just quit buying into the "we're different and we're better" stuff. SkyWest is simply an airline. Just like Comair, ASA, Horizon,etc. Hopefully more than just a handful of the pilots will figure that out someday.

 

[MILF Hunter]

Actually SkyWest had some of those benefits before the unionized regionals had them. To this day SkyWest has better trip rigs, minimum pay guarantees, deadhead pay, and vacation policies than many other carriers.

Post me a link to your awsome contract so I can look at it.

 

[Dave Benjamin]

Just quit buying into the "we're different and we're better" stuff. SkyWest is simply an airline. Just like Comair, ASA, Horizon,etc. Hopefully more than just a handful of the pilots will figure that out someday.

I think SkyWest pilots might have voted for a union if there was one out there designed for regional pilots. ALPA has a huge conflict of interest unfortunately. The QX guys I've talked to aren't that thrilled with Teamster representation. It took them quite a while to get a contract.

I've never heard any SkyWest foks say "we're different and we're better," have you? You could make a case for being different though. Over 30 mostly profitable years with the same CEO. Good employee relations. Profit sharing (deposited into 401-K) and stock options. Except for the past couple of years pilots have been at or near the top of the industry for pay and work rules. Remember if you vote in a union you start negotiating from scratch and there's no guarantee you'll end up with anything better that the current deal. Given the current state of the industry it's pretty likely that SkyWest pilots would end up with the short end of the stick.

 

[Dave Benjamin]

Post me a link to your awsome contract so I can look at it.

It used to be on airlinepilotcontracts.com but that page looks blank. Howver here's some stuff OTOH. I don't know of any other links.

Min daily pay 3:45 (no monthly lookback, it's a true guarantee)
100% pay for deadhead
2:1 duty rig with premium pay for anything schedules past 12 hours
A stock purchase plan that can put an extra few thousand bucks a year in a pilot's pocket (worst case scenario is 2.25% of income as profit)
Profit sharing deposited into 401K - can add a few grand of tax deferred income depending on seat and time of service.
Ability to drop or swap just part of a trip
Ability to define vacation - not locked in to taking entire week

 

[Gobi Gred]

Dave,

SkyWest does have some great benefits but it doesn't mean squat if it can go bye bye tomorrow. Personally I wouldn't want my family's livelihood resting on a handshake deal. I would also agree that SkyWest probably has one of the best management teams in the industry. They've kept the airline consistently profitable, labor costs under control, and union free. BUT is that management team going to run the airline forever? No. And Jerry will not lose sleep over whether or not Dave Benjamin has a job. The time to vote in a union is not after things have gone in the toilet. That's like wrecking your car with no insurance and then calling Allstate and saying "yeah can I get some of that car insurance stuff you sell cause I kinda need it now" That being said fly safe, and hopefully the next drive will be sucessful.

 

[Dave Benjamin]

Gobi,

I guess we'll just agree to disagree on this one. There's a lot of union pilots that didn't find solace in ALPA when their company underwent a change of ownership or merger. Just ask any TWA pilot that paid union dues for 3 decades. Reno Air pilots got the shaft as well when it came to the merger with AA. I understand where you're coming from with the concern for the future. I don't share the conviction that you should throw out everything you have now because of what might happen someday.

I'm also trying to insulate myself to some extent by not having all my eggs in one basket. Hopefully I'll have a masters degree soon and some good career options if I lose my medical or my job disappears. We're really no different than those in other industries. I think you have to look out for yourself to a large extent rather than trust a third party to safeguard your interests. We have some pretty talented professionals in this country who thought their high tech jobs were secure only to watch them go to India.

 

[SaladShooter]

Union or non union that is a tough question and it looks like the SKW pilots made a choice, it is now their bed and let them lie in it. Good Luck in the future.

I am an ALPA member, do I like it, well most of the time no but I can tell ou this if heaven forbid I have an accident or incident I know that ALPA is on my side to defend me against not only the FAA but most importantly the company. ALPA is like an insurance policy, you hate making the payments but if the sh*t hits the fan it is nice to know they are on your side. All the other benefits are crap compared to that!

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

Gobi,

I guess we'll just agree to disagree on this one. There's a lot of union pilots that didn't find solace in ALPA when their company underwent a change of ownership or merger. Just ask any TWA pilot that paid union dues for 3 decades. Reno Air pilots got the shaft as well when it came to the merger with AA. I understand where you're coming from with the concern for the future. I don't share the conviction that you should throw out everything you have now because of what might happen someday.

This is a common misconception. What if ALPA wasn't on the property. What do you think AMR/APA would have done if there was no union for the TWA guys? Treated them better?

Here is one... if APA were still ALPA, it might have gone better...maybe worse.

Skywest is able to keep unions off the property cause they offer the hard bargained payscale and work rules the unions fought for. Would skywest offer the wages it does if the rest of the industry averaged 30% less?

But it is all good.... It's just that we all make mistakes.... I guess Skywest pilots are perfect or thier management is more understanding than a left wing liberal love fest in Hollywood Hills.

Why union?

As an employee for the company you should ask yourself why are you working here? Is your primary purpose to serve yourself or the company? In reality most of us work for ourselves. We need income to provide for ourselves and our families. We are actually a small business entity providing a service for our companies. We could be seen as contractors. We have invested tremendous amounts of time, energy and money to simply apply for employment. Once we are established, especially with the purchase of a house and having children our job security is critical. Protecting your job has never become more important.

It is human nature to deny a problem and accept responsibility. It is also human nature to expect results without understanding the complications faced in achieving those results.
Such is the management style of some chief pilot office. For some managers it is easier and cheaper to terminate pilots who make mistakes than acknowledge responsibilities on their own part.

After spending so much time and energy to be an airline pilot can you afford to lose your job because you were given a stacked deck?

 

[GogglesPisano]

I know you guys hate hearing this, but I'll say it anyway:

The next time a bill introducing cabatoge, or increasing duty limits, or criminalizing accidents, or installing cameras in cockpits is defeated on Capitol Hill ..........

....... thank a dues-paying ALPA pilot.


Cheers!

 

[whiff]

Dave the ability to drop trips isn't anything different from any airline. Try to get vacation time for anything with our continual short staffing and forget it. Fourteen rejected requests and counted - some with a months notice. Yeh we got it great.

 

[Dave Benjamin]

There is more flexibility in how things get broken up. That's all I was trying to say. At many airlines when you put in for a week of vacation you take the whole week whether you want it or not. I have a neighbor who is a captain at a major that thinks we're more flexible.

 

[TriJet]

"Different and Better"

Dave,

that was (maybe still is) SkyWest's mission statement for many years.